Background and objectives: The impact of trait perfectionism on coping and affective response has been well-documented in laboratory performances, and yet little is known about the role played by perfectionistic self-presentation in performances beyond the effects of trait perfectionism.
Design: We aimed to address this knowledge gap by examining the relationships between perfectionistic self-presentation, maladaptive emotion-focused coping, and affective response to laboratory problem-solving tasks.
Methods: A group of 130 undergraduates attempted challenging, time-limited arithmetic and anagram tasks. Upon task completion, participants' scores were announced along with their mistakes. Additionally, participants completed measures assessing their positive and negative affect before and after lab performance, as well as coping strategies utilized during performance.
Results: Participants with elevated perfectionistic self-presentation experienced greater levels of negative affect and maladaptive emotion-focused coping. Moreover, nondisclosure of imperfection emerged as a significant predictor of lowered positive affect from pre- to post-performance after controlling for self-oriented perfectionism and socially prescribed perfectionism. Path analysis indicated that both nondisplay of imperfection and nondisclosure of imperfection exerted an indirect effect on post-performance negative affect via maladaptive emotion-focused coping.
Conclusions: Our findings highlight the unique contribution of perfectionistic self-presentation beyond trait perfectionism in performance settings and suggest a need for future research.
Keywords: Perfectionism; affect; coping; lab performance; perfectionistic self-presentation.